Fabio Cristiano

Dr. Fabio Cristiano serves as an Assistant Professor in Conflict Studies at Utrecht University's Department of History and Art History, specializing in History of International Relations. He joined Utrecht University in 2022 after holding postdoctoral and teaching positions at Leiden University's Institute of Security and Global Affairs and Lund University's Department of Political Science, where he completed his PhD on cyber conflict and surveillance technologies in Palestine.

His research expertise spans cybersecurity, cyber warfare, disinformation, artificial intelligence, internet governance, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He actively contributes to the academic community through the Contesting Governance platform at Utrecht University, where he established the Palestine Lab focusing on digital oppression and cyber surveillance in Palestine.

Cristiano has published significant works including Artificial Intelligence and International Conflict in Cyberspace (2023) and Hybridity, Conflict, and the Global Politics of Cybersecurity (2024), with research output spanning books, academic articles, and digital publications. His scholarly work demonstrates consistent focus on the intersection of digital technologies and international conflict, particularly in the Middle Eastern context.

As a prominent media commentator, he has provided expert analysis on cyber conflict issues in major publications including NU.nl, NOS, NBC News, and Trouw, with recent contributions addressing Israeli propaganda in online advertising (June 2025), Israeli investment in public opinion campaigns (March 2025), rocket alert applications (November 2023), and Pegasus spyware revelations (July 2021).

His academic leadership extends to convening the MA in Conflict Studies and Human Rights and coordinating the Minor Conflict Studies program. Upcoming academic engagements through mid-2025 include panels on digital oppression in Palestine, telecommunication in Gaza, and cyber surveillance, reflecting his ongoing commitment to examining the digital dimensions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.